@Aye Chihuahua:

Second nut from Canada, different ideology, same attitude and temperament.

@Weemaryanne:

tsk, tsk, tsk, temper, temper.

Like or Dislike: 0  0

That darned US Constitution.

It’s so inconvenient:

Like or Dislike: 0  0

@Weemaryanne:

I like the Bible. Many people do.

That’s not the answer to the question that I posed to you. Here it is again:

Is there a particular reason why you continue to refer back to the Bible when you’ve made it clear that you neither believe in it nor live by it?

Kindly answer the question because I’d really like to know.

I have to decline your kind offer, at least for this evening as I only have time for these two brief posts.

Well, it is said that some people enhance their surroundings through their presence; others through their absence.

Thank you so much for the generous gift of a pleasant evening without you.

Like or Dislike: 0  0

NY Times columnist Paul Krugman in 2007 stating the public option will lead to to a single payer system:

Like or Dislike: 0  0

@Aye Chihuahua: I like the Bible. Many people do.

Aw, you looked up my profile. I’d be flattered if I were still young enough for that. I think I will refrain from reciprocating, as I prefer a little mystery with my internetz.

I have to decline your kind offer, at least for this evening as I only have time for these two brief posts. I’m sorry. I’ve read all posts addressed to me (honest!) and I hope to respond in full, but as you know I have some reading to catch up on first.

Like or Dislike: 0  0

@Weemaryanne:

Unable to address the logical points of Missy’s argument, WeeWee takes the personal attack path.

Is there a particular reason why you continue to refer back to the Bible when you’ve made it clear that you neither believe in it nor live by it?

I would think that a 47 year old self-proclaimed sarcastic female Canuck atheist who occasionally commits doggerel could do better than that.

Also, there are a series of unanswered queries still pending for you in the earlier portion of this thread. Would you like for me to copy/paste them down here for easier reference?

Like or Dislike: 0  0

@Missy: Ah, the old lay-a-trap-for-my-opponent trick. Clearly you have closely read your Gospels. The Pharisees would be proud of you, though perhaps their opponent, Whatsisname of Nazareth, might disagree.

If this constitutes an act of judgmental snobbery, then make the most of it.

Like or Dislike: 0  0

@Curt: Thank you. I was recently reminded that I hadn’t yet responded to this kind offer, so I must also apologize for my tardiness. I plan to read up on the matter as soon as time permits.

Like or Dislike: 0  0

@Weemaryanne:

As a rule, I don’t post references of this nature as a source, but, I had an idea of how you would respond and you fell for it.

First, it’s published by something called Kjos Ministries which, while it may be competent at delivering Christian evangelism,

does not appear to have any expertise or credentials to qualify as an authority on health care

.

And…… your “expertise and credentials” are? And why do you think you are qualified as an authority regarding our healthcare or our Constitution?

Second: A 90-year-old photograph of a temporary hospital ward during a pandemic can have very little relevance to the questions before us. This seems to be nothing more than a scare tactic.

Oh my, we have two ladies from the north, one offering her heartfelt commentary on the perils of Canadian healthcare and includes a bit of drama, the other, a judgemental snob that appears to be flailing in this debate.

Like or Dislike: 0  0

@American Voter:

1) Are you sure you are not an American liberal writing from Chicago or NYC?

Quite sure. I’m a Canadian liberal writing from Toronto. It’s very nice to meet you.

I’ve never visited either New York or Chicago. I’m informed by persons who have personal knowledge of these cities that Toronto bears some resemblance to both, having a very large Italian community like that of New York while experiencing Great-Lakes-effect-snowfall much like Chicago. (I suspect that the latter was not intended as a compliment.

I am inclined to be impressed with President Obama and I hope he is successful in at least some of his legislative plans.

2) From your posts, I take it you think Americans should not speak up/object to Socializing our entire way of life?

If this is your understanding of my position then clearly I have failed to make that position plain. I’m very sorry. I’ll try to do better in this and future posts, as I have the greatest respect for freedom of speech and uncensored expression of opinion and I feel very strongly that these must be preserved, both in North America and elsewhere.

3) (Links have been offered to you by other readers in this thread)

Yes they have, and I should have offered my thanks for that yesterday. Mea culpa.

I’ve saved those links but have had no time as yet for more than a brief glance at some of them, and responses to one or two. Again, I apologize, this time to all who responded to my request for such links and to whom I have not yet replied. My only excuse for the delay is lack of time, and I wish I had more time to devote to this discussion as it’s fascinating. Though you will have to take my word for it (and though you and others may disagree), yet I will say that I am making a good faith effort to learn from others and to offer evidence to support the claims that I choose to make.

Alas, my efforts fall short and for all I know, perhaps those efforts could not have produced any better outcome. Regardless, please be assured that no one could be more dismayed and disappointed with the quality of my work here than I. As I said before, I hope to improve in this and other respects, and plan to bend my efforts to that goal.

4) If we do speak up against ObamaCare — it must mean we do not care about people that cannot truly afford health care?

I hope I have made no insinuations about anyone’s motivations, as that is something I cannot know. If I have, then that is hardly a fair or reasonable debating tactic and I hope that you and others will call me out on it, as I deserve.

I readily concede that I have been critical of certain expressed attitudes. I submit that such criticism is fair practice on a web site. If that is not the case on this particular web site, I hope someone will tell me so, so that I may excuse myself and seek other sites which may prove more congenial to honest criticism and civil disagreement.

5) No other opinion counts and the only way USA can go is to follow the lead of Canada, UK, Italy, et al?

I have referenced the Canadian Medicare system because I have some acquaintance with some of its workings. I have made references to health care in other nations as a matter of comparison and contrast, when that seemed pertinent to the discussion. I have never claimed that contrary opinions should be dismissed out of hand, and frankly I’m astonished to be accused of this.

Having said that, it does seem strange to me that the United States should be the only industrialized nation that does not provide healthcare insurance to all. It also seems strange that generally positive recommendations from Canada, France, Japan and elsewhere should be received so coldly in your country.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101778_pf.html

6) Instead, maybe you could educate by telling us about the Canadian HealthCare System — what you would keep, what you would definitely throw out — and where improvements could be made. That would be very educational.

I will tell you what I can, and I hope that it may be helpful. Please see below.

7) I would also suggest you talk to someone that lives in a former Soviet satellite country…specifically about health care.

I’m not sure what you mean by this. In any case, I must regretfully decline, as I am presently unacquainted either with any such person or with the health care system that was used by the late and unlamented Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Back to your question at 6) above:

First, a few disclaimers are in order. I am not a health care or health policy expert, rather an ordinary a Canadian citizen and a user of Canadian Medicare and – as you note – a liberal by political inclination. My own state of health is generally not too bad for a middle-aged woman with a chronic illness whose diet and exercise habits are, shall we say, something less than ideal. It should also be noted that Canadian Medicare began when I was a child in the 1960s so I have no memory of a different system.

What to throw out? — Inefficient record keeping and scheduling. As in any large and complex system, there’s a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy that produces little or nothing of value.

Improvements? — An integrated electronic record keeping system would be a big improvement, with serious privacy controls and a watchdog office or agency equipped with tools to ensure implementation of such controls. I’ve been in hospitals/doctors’ offices where everything seemed to be written in a single large ledger-style book, and others where someone had only to tap a keyboard to retrieve my medical history. I’ve taken my turn in the queue for diagnostic tests, and ended up receiving some tests at very odd hours. That can’t be necessary, IMHO.

What to keep? — The basic principles of the system are 1) public administration, 2) comprehensiveness, 3) universality, 4) portability, and 5) accessibility. I can find little fault with these, so I would keep them all. Health Canada provides a fuller explanation here:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/medi-assur/cha-lcs/overview-apercu-eng.php

I will end this very long post here, with thanks for your interesting questions and observations.

Like or Dislike: 0  0